Innovation at Dalat #7 CLEP

Did you know that Dalat is the only The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing center in South East Asia? Many of you have heard of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the related exams, but you may be less familiar with the CLEP program. Both programs are run by the College Board.

However, unlike the AP classes, a CLEP test can be taken without taking a class and students may sign up at any time of the year. CLEP allows students to show proficiency in 33 different subject areas and many US universities will give credit to students who pass a subject test. If you are headed to the US for University this is definitely worth looking into, but keep in mind CLEP is not well recognized at other systems around the world.

Dalat HS students in some of our Science, Math, English, and Social Studies classes may have the opportunity to take a CLEP exam instead of a final exam at the year-end. Our students have traditionally done well on these exams and earn credits that may save the family money by not needing to pay for introductory courses in university.

If you are interested in finding out what tests are available, take a look at the CLEP website. https://clep.collegeboard.org/. If you would like to know more about scheduling an exam, you are invited to talk with our test coordinator Marsha Yost myost@dalat.org.

Innovation at Dalat #6  - Next Level Fitness Challenge

I am going to switch gears from academics to athletics in this email and talk about an innovative challenge that we have given to all of our student-athletes. As our sports program has developed, the Athletic Director has worked to find ways for our students to both get in shape during the offseason and to identify areas of fitness to work on. Out of that initiative comes the NextLevel fitness challenge which measures a broad range of fitness attributes including cardio, strength, agility, speed, flexibility, endurance,  and balance.

The exercises can be done in the Dalat gym/weight room.  Here is a list of the 7 events…

•          Rowing
•          Paper Challenge
•          Agility Sprint
•          Beep Test
•          Deadlift
•          Handstand hold
•          GHD sit-ups

All the details of the 7 events of the fitness challenges and the rules of the competition are in this document.  Fitness Challenge Instructions

To make in interesting and fun, they can submit scores through links on the school intranet. Anyone can try the challenge as often as they like. Who knows, even parents may want to give it a try or to do it with your kids. This is a great way to work to get ready for the next sports season or just to help you get back in shape.

Innovation at Dalat #5 Service Learning

While service learning is not new at Dalat, I am including it in this series of innovation updates because it is such a unique and valuable part of our education process.  For nearly 15 years, Dalat has required all HS students to engage in a minimum of ten hours of community service each year as part of the student graduation requirements. This first exposure to service is often the spark that leads students to commit to many more hours of service than are required, and eventually, we hope, a life of service to others. Dalat recognizes those students who go above the minimum service hours with student “Service Awards” that are handed out by our service learning coordinator, Mrs. Pagee.   

What is new this year is “Track it Forward”. This software platform gives simple and accurate recording of all of the hours students have served. Track it Forward gives simple verification from a community organizer of the quality of work done and helps the students record and communicate their hours in a way that is simple and fun. We have introduced it this semester for students in grades 9-11.

Several teachers are connectors in our community who know where needs are and how our students can reach out and help meet those needs. They regularly organize trips to an orphanage, the old folks home, SKTT school near Tesco, and a host of other outings to provide outreach opportunities for our students. It is a joy to see students learning to use the gifts that they have in service to others.

Dalat’s new “Impact” trip program is taking the concept of service learning a step further. It creates opportunities for students to engage in another culture at a deeper level for a full week of service, often in remote locations around SE Asia. Students commit to many weeks of training before they leave to prepare them to be able to serve well. This year four teams of students will care for young prisoners, work to develop seed storage techniques, care for young girls who have become pregnant, and run programs for children who have been abandoned.  

If you know a place where our students can serve or want to engage in any of these programs, communicate with our service learning coordinator Mrs. Pagee or the Impact coordinator Mr. McClary. We would love to hear from you.